"A thank-you note is an act of grace. It completes a circle. If I take the trouble to tell you, on paper, what a difference you have made to me, then it makes your gift or kindness an act of mutuality. It is something we share. It connects us, and makes us both feel not only better, but possibly saner." - Jane Howard.

Thank you notes. They come in a variety of forms: a short email message, a young child's hand-drawn note, a post card from some far away location or on pretty note paper. But the most important thing is that it is indeed a thank you note written from the heart to tell the recipient how special or unique the gift made them feel. If it's a monetary gift, the writer of the thank you note delights in explaining how they will use the money to improve themselves or their surroundings.

It doesn't take much to write a thank you note to someone who gave you a gift that you did not acknowledge in person. Is it our school system's inability to teach some students how to write a proper and grammatically coherent sentence? Or is it the fault of parents too busy with both work and self that prevents them to take some of their valuable time to teach their children the lost art of writing a proper thank you note? From my observations both at work and with friends, the art of writing a thank you note as well as receiving a thank you note appears to be becoming a lost art.

I believe one of the most important things you can teach your children is to appreciate everything and to learn to express it. This understanding must come from example that when you receive a gift, you must also give thanks to the person that gave you that gift. All too often, birthdays and Christmas gifts are gleefully received with appreciation without the reciprocation of a kind word of thank you for these items. Children learn from example and the art of writing a thank you note for a gift must come from their families.

Human beings by nature like to be appreciated for a good deed or a kind service. Thank you notes are a way of telling someone that they are appreciated for their kind act or service. This acknowledgement helps to reinforce such good behavior making them feel good about who they are and how they acted toward another human being.

"Such a sweet gift -- says Garrison Keillor --"a piece of handmade writing, in an envelope that is not a bill, sitting in our friend's path when she trudges home from a long day . . . a day our words will help repair. They don't need to be immortal, just sincere. She can read them twice and again tomorrow."

Thank You.